Lorde stopped by BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge to perform her single “Green Light” (which Arcade Fire and All Time Low have previously covered there) and a cover of Phil Collins’ iconic 1981 single “In the Air Tonight.” From listening to her music, it’s not hard to imagine that Lorde has a fondness for Collins’ ’80s output. She spoke a little bit about her history as a fan in her introduction to her version of the song: “It wasn’t ’til I was older that I realized how magical he was and went through…all the Genesis stuff and all his own records. He’s such a pioneer, just his melodies and his drums, and I’m so inspired by him.”
Lorde cover stays true to the structure of the original, erupting into a faithful recreation of the song’s vicious, synthetic drum fill at exactly the right moment. You can listen to Lorde’s introduction and her cover of the song in full at 2:11:45 here, and watch some clips of the performance below.
Oh, @Lorde 😍@PhilCollinsFeed‘s In The Air Tonight sounds beautiful in the Live Lounge #R1LiveLoungeMonth pic.twitter.com/qooUenQ0IR
— BBC Radio 1 (@BBCR1) September 28, 2017
BIG thanks to @Lorde for joining us in the Live Lounge today!
If anyone needs us, we’ll be watching this on repeat 😍#R1LiveLoungeMonth pic.twitter.com/Bh9zEoRGms
— BBC Radio 1 (@BBCR1) September 28, 2017
